Google today announced a pair of new smartphones aimed at generating a broader market appeal than their previous three generations of premium Pixels. The Pixel 3a and 3a XL are priced starting at $399 and $479 respectively and represents a new approach to filling out Google’s smartphone lineup with approximately a $300 discount on list price of existing models. The design language of the new Pixels remains the same as the current Pixel 3 devices introduced last year, which had been Google’s first internally designed smartphone product (as opposed to previous use of HTC or LG designs as defined by FCC filings). In order to hit the lower price points, Google has pared down the core electronics, opting to use the 700 and 600 tiers of Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs.

Apple and Qualcomm announced that they had settled in their long standing legal fight over FRANDS and royalty rates just as opening arguments were made at the second day of the court case between the two.

On Monday 23 March, hardware giant Apple announced the launch of a host of new services at its Cupertino headquarters.. Along with updates and launches around Apple Pay, Apple News and the App Store, the Apple TV app is to be revamped with the introduction of new subscription models and wider device distribution.

This year’s MWC Barcelona event was an important gathering place for the mobile industry, playing host to an interesting dialogue about the future of mobile connectivity. Of course, 5G was the focus of MWC, but a few other topics managed to be part of the overall mobile discussion—WiFi in particular managed to shine through the deluge of 5G announcements. Service providers like AT&T, manufacturer Samsung, network vendors Cisco and Nokia, and Internet giants Facebook and Google all made notable WiFi announcements highlighting not only their own WiFi activity but continuity of the larger WiFi ecosystem. This research note provides a summary of some of the announcements and discussions we had related to WiFi and how it relates to network and service evolution in the 5G era. Clients, please log in to view the full content.

HMD/Nokia’s announcement at MWC ‘19 clearly defines the strategic focus of the company for the coming year, which is the expansion of their presence in the emerging markets, building on its existing brand image and cooperation with Google.

Amazon and eero announced on February 11th, 2019, that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Amazon will acquire eero. eero’s home mesh WiFi systems set up in minutes and blanket every room of a customer’s home in high-performing, reliable WiFi.

With the dawn of 5G networks right around the corner, 2019 promises to be an exciting year full of announcements, deployments, and official launches. But how will WiFi coexist alongside 5G? More importantly, how will the carrier WiFi market pan out in 2019 once 5G is introduced? Clients, please log in to view the full content.

Skyworth Group has concluded the acquisition of Allied Electronics Corporation Limited (Altron)’s set-top box manufacturing business (Altech UEC South Africa). Altron announced in Q3 2018 that it was close to selling off the business, with the Competition Commission giving the regulatory nod of approval in Q1 2019.

IHS Markit has revised its estimates for Internet connected set-top boxes (STBs) in its Connected Devices intelligence service following an in-depth review on an operator-by-operator basis. More than 500m connected pay STBs are now forecast for year-end 2022 globally.

According to the latest consumer surveys from November 2018, when choosing video services in India, three in four connected consumers feel localized content is as important as price - especially the inclusion of local Indian content and the quality of subtitling and dubbing of foreign video content.

Inside Secure, a mobile, banking, IoT, and SoC security specialist, will acquire video and media security specialist Verimatrix. The all-cash transaction – valued at $143 million and backed by One Equity Partners - is expected to close in Q1 2019.

On December 1st, the first 4K and 8K TV broadcasts were launched by NHK, available via two satellite channels. 4K broadcasts will be available for 18 hours daily while 8K will be available for 12 hours daily. These broadcasts will include HDR (HLG format), wide color gamut (BT.2020) and in 22.2 channel audio.

Every decade or so, a new technology or device format is unveiled that immediately disrupts the market. Apple was the instigator in 2007, and the iPhone upended the mobile phone industry. More than a decade later, the smartphone market is now showing signs of stagnation. The latest designs from various companies are starting to look more alike, which is making brand differentiation difficult.

More than a third of video subscribers claim ultra-high-definition (UHD) content is an important criterion in their choice of video services, across five markets surveyed. Among households with both pay TV and online video subscriptions, that preference rises to 50 percent.